Today we enjoyed a nice, peaceful, easy Thanksgiving. For dinner it was only going to be Jack, Blake and I, so we picked out a smaller turkey. Garrett was going to be having dinner at Genevieve's father's house, and Casey had to work and had been invited to have dinner with Brianna's father and grandmother. They promised to stop by after dinner to give me a hug, and they did. :)

Blake and Jack did all the cooking of our little turkey, and it was delicious. It did, however, take forever to bake! It was a stubborn little turkey.

Blake enjoyed helping dad with the cooking.

A very stubborn little turkey...

...but quite a delicious dinner! Well done, Blake. We will have leftovers for days!

Miss Lilly waiting for the turkey to be done.

Brianna and Casey stopped by to visit, and shared with me the recording of the baby's heartbeat from her appointment yesterday. They have decided to nickname the little one "Turbo", as the heartbeat was quick and strong. Turbo sounds very healthy and very active, just like his/her father. Brianna and Casey are so happy together, and I love that Brianna is now part of our family. <3

Genevieve and Garrett stopped by later in the evening for a visit. Genevieve brought some delicious deserts for us too. She brought a yummy cookie butter cheesecake and some pumpkin bread pudding. We had a very nice visit as well. It was a great way to wind down our day. I truly enjoyed spending time with Genevieve and look forward to many more family gatherings with her. She is awesome, and she and Garrett are perfect for each other. <3

I missed not having Brandon, Amber, Cooper and Penny with us. That would have made the day absolutely perfect.

He also had to feed the chickens in the snow. One day he will be telling his children..."Kids, not only did I have to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways...but I had to feed the chickens in a blizzard!"

*insert eye roll here* lol :)

He hardly looks miserable.

Miss Lilly, however, does not want to be disturbed until Spring...or until the turkey dinner is ready.

This evening we will be putting up the Christmas tree. We got a small turkey this year, as the older boys will be having dinner with their honey's families, Blake will be doing all the cooking for us with a little help from dad.

Tomorrow evening, Garrett, Genevieve, Casey and Brianna will join us for left-overs and desert. It will be a lovely day I am sure. :)

Garrett, my number one son, and the king of all the beards. There is no question that he has won Movember this year. He has the most epic beard on the planet. :)

However, Garrett is much more than the King of Beards, he is also the King of Cool, the King of Comedy, the King of Reason, and the King of Kindness. And he is pretty much the King of all things he finds interest in.

Garrett is a giver. He gives of himself to everyone who crosses his path. Which is why when I have heard or discovered that someone has done him wrong, it makes me so very angry. Ironically, Garrett would be the first person to forgive. He would say, "Let it go mom, it is not that big of a deal. Life is too short to worry about the little stuff. There will always be crazy in this world, we just have to learn to filter it out."

And he is right. Life is too short. We will always have people in our world who make no sense. People who live to stir the pot or draw in all the attention they can muster. Unfortunately, it is these same people that upset the calm of our everyday life. But that is only if we permit them to. I will take some example from Garrett and just "let it go." Be thankful for the awesome that is life, and filter out the noise that comes from all the crazy. Take away the spoon from the pot stirrers.

Thank you son. I love you. :)

Garrett and Blake, the twins who are 13 years apart.

Blake is more like Garrett than any of his other siblings. He has a calm, kindness about his spirit.

There are days that he makes us all crazy, but there is a word for that. That word is puberty. Garrett helps me keep Blake's feet firmly planted, and for that I am forever thankful.

Happy 6th birthday to this old puppers.

We have had a nice peaceful weekend. Casey and Brianna have been over a lot, and that makes my heart happy. I love my little family.

Blake and I were planning a nice relaxing day today. He was going to enjoy a day of Fallout 4 gaming, and I was going to do my usual "back-seat gaming," and watch him play.

Garrett arrived home from a photo shoot, and we went upstairs to my computer so that he could show me the AMAZING photos he took of Genevieve's sister and her beautiful little family. All of a sudden we hear Blake scream....

"OH MY GOD MOM!!!" Followed by words that neither Garrett nor I could decipher.

For a split second, I panicked. All I could think was that something had happened to one of the hens. I had them both free-ranging in the backyard. Garrett was home, so that meant that Supra was possibly outside. I am thinking, "OMG, Supra is enjoying some delicious chicken nuggets in the backyard!!!"

Then Blake bursts into the room..."I caught him, mom, I caught him!!!" And there he stands holding a long plastic tube containing a tiny little bitty adorable mouse. What the hell? We have lived here for years, and I have never seen a mouse in the house. Lately, I have been leaving to door to the garage slightly open so that Dozer can come in and out of the house with ease. Not anymore!

Garrett and Blake rush downstairs because Blake is saying there is another mouse. He had spotted two of them, and Blake was determined to capture the other little scoundrel. What ensued was hilarity at its finest. Blake flipping over furniture, determined to catch a mouse, and Garrett, standing over the bucket with the first one making an iPhone video. LOL. SO funny!

Needless to say, we released the little fella into the backyard, and the other one scurried back into the garage. I am thinking..."Extra protein for the chickens?" Don't worry, no tiny little bitty adorable mouse was harmed today.

It was a great end to a bit of a stressful week. Gotta love my boys, never a dull moment. :)